So this was my first time up at Snow Lake. I decided to go run it. I was at the trail head by 8:45 and there were a LOT of cars already there. I had heard that this one was busy but I was surprised by how many cars there were. So, I went up and filled out my alpine wilderness tag and headed up the trail. People were pretty heavily bunched at the start, so I ran the edge of the trail beside the log steps and was able to get out in front. The trail is a pretty steady climb and I made it up near the branch trail where you turn right and head up the switchbacks before shifting to a hike/run. Due to the rocks, the trail gets really tough to run in areas. The people were all really friendly though. As I would approach someone I would ask how they were doing and if I was passing ask nicely if I could get by. I find the trick is to be polite, joke with people on the trail, and be patient if the trail is full or narrow. Besides, I'm not out here to win a competition...I'm out here to enjoy the journey too.
I made it to the top fairly quickly and then started the decent down into the lake basin. As you drop in you are going to have to cross a number of snowy areas. The melting snow makes them slick in some places, and I did accidentally post hole when I stepped sideways to go around someone (oops). But other than that, they are easy to cross. When I got to the bottom a took a few minutes to look across the lake and at the waterfalls in the creek feeding into the lake and then headed back up and out. Surprisingly, the bugs didn't bother me at all. I slapped one mosquito but other than that....nothing. I'm not use to that when I get up around lakes. Maybe my super sweaty runner smell works as bug repellent? ...whatever...I'm not complaining.
I ended up hiking up out of the basin and then running back down to the car.
Things to note....some of the rocky areas require taking big steps and if you are running I found myself jumping from rock to rock as I was running. It is super easy to catch a toe or twist an ankle on this trail. So be careful.
The profile for the lake says that it is 7.4 miles round trip but my garmin showed it a little less than 6 miles round trip. So not sure where they measured from.
Oh...btw....I thought that there were a lot of cars in the lot when I started, but there were easily double when I got back down. My friend referred to this as the I-5 of Alpine Lakes and now I know why.
The lake is beautiful! There is still ice on the far end of it. Absolutely worth the visit.
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